


Little Ball of Fluff

by Fire_Bear



Series: Pets-R-Us [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: (I'm not sure if who dies counts as a minor character or not), Bunnies, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, Pets, Rabbits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2015-09-09
Packaged: 2018-04-18 03:37:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4690682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_Bear/pseuds/Fire_Bear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur is excited to get a rabbit from his best friend's cousin - but he isn't so excited to meet Alfred F. Jones...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a new series (I shouldn't have started...) of one-shots from different AUs with a variety of different pets. I realised that most fan fiction that I've read have cats, a few dogs but never really anything else. So this first idea happened and then I got more, so...
> 
> Disclaimer: I've never had a rabbit so I had to look up information online. This was meant to be more about the rabbit than Arthur and Alfred but it got away from me. =/ Also, I have no idea if the part in the university is accurate but I decided to take liberties so I could have Arthur complaining a bit more. Because, why not?
> 
> Oh, also, this first one may seem a little too quick-paced but it was originally just four scenes and became a little longer as I added in explanatory pieces. It might have been better in multiple chapters but I also didn't want to split it up... The pains of my imagination getting the better of me...

Arthur Kirkland had grown up with three older brothers and one younger. His family was rather well off so they could afford to live in a large house with almost enough room for all of them. (Arthur had to share a room with Sean but would be moved up to the attic once his parents had converted it.) Seeing as his parents were usually busy, they had caved to every request for a pet their sons had made, hoping the pets would be able to give them the company they needed.

At the moment, Patrick had a playful cat which was to placate his desire for a dog, something their mother was allergic to. The cat was vicious to everyone else, though, and all attempts by Arthur to engage it in play had resulted in pain and bandages. Andrew's current... pet was a tarantula. Their mother had relegated it to a shed in the garden with whatever it needed to survive the British weather and, after one memorable encounter between her and the... pet, banned it from being let loose in the garden without prior warning. Arthur avoided it. David had a lizard. It didn't really do much but David was enamoured with it and refused to let Arthur even look in the tank. Lastly, Sean had tadpoles. Arthur wasn't sure that counted but he wasn't allowed to go near the tank in their room, either. Being the only one without a pet, Arthur had considered asking for one but he had never came up with a _different animal_ that he wanted badly enough to reduce himself to begging.

Which was why ten-year old Arthur lit up at the prospect of getting his very own companion by mere chance.

"Really?" he asked Matthew, eyes wide. "Do you really think I can have one?"

"Well, not just now," the Canadian told him, almost apologetically. "Aunt Caroline said we have to wait a bit till they don't need their mum."

"Wow. Are they cute?" Arthur asked, excitedly. He'd seen the Lindt chocolates and he wondered if they'd be adorable enough to warrant a bow around their neck.

"Very!" Matthew agreed, grinning widely. Arthur could see the gap in his teeth which had been caused by his cousin tackling him to show him how much better American Football was compared to _actual_ football. It made him want to frown – and made him want to give the cousin (whom he'd never met) a good, hard shove.

Matthew came from Ottawa where his parents were journalists at the same paper. Whilst his mother was a travel journalist, his father was a war correspondent. Usually, they only spent weeks away and at different times of the year. When they were both sent away – one on a months-long journey through Europe and the other to the Middle East – they had packed Matthew off to live with his aunt, uncle and cousin. Shortly after, his aunt had secured a temporary position in England and had uprooted everyone to live there for a few months.

Whilst his cousin had been sent to a public school, Matthew's mother had insisted on sending him to Arthur's private school. They had become good friends and Arthur spent most of his time with the Canadian. Sitting together during lunch had become routine and they did so now, chattering away as they ate.

"You should come see them," Matthew told him.

"But Mum and Dad might not want me to get one... They'll be dear, right? Like Pat's cat and Andy's tarantula." Arthur grimaced at the mention of it.

"Well, it's your birthday soon, isn't it?" Matthew pointed out, picking up his milk box and carefully putting the straw to his lips.

"Hm," said Arthur, nodding slowly. He picked up his own juice box and peeled off his straw. "I suppose I could _try_ convincing them."

* * *

Thankfully, it didn't take a lot to convince his parents to allow him to get a pet from Matthew's cousin and, at the weekend, Arthur and his mother arrived at the Jones' residence which was just as big as the Kirklands' but only housed nearly a half of the occupants. The large, brown building had a very small garden in the front which they'd done nothing with beyond removing all the plants and leaving the flowerbeds empty. The soil had turned to mud in the rain and Arthur saw his mum grimace. She knocked on the white door below the large number 17 despite her disgust and it was almost immediately opened by a tall woman with long, dark blonde hair which had been swept back into a messy ponytail. Arthur thought she looked like the opposite of his mother whose lighter blonde hair was neatly tied back and whose clothes were crease-free.

"Hi there!" cried Mrs. Jones, shaking his mum's hand. "I'm Caroline."

"Wendy."

"Nice to meetcha! And this must be Arthur, huh?" She shook his hand when he held it out, laughing at the display of manners. "Mattie's told us all about you. It's great to finally meet you. You should come over sometime. I'm not sure why Mattie hasn't invited you yet..."

"He invited me today," Arthur pointed out, deciding it wasn't the best idea to voice Matthew's prior reasoning. It had something to do with his cousin being a 'hoser' and not wanting Arthur to be subjected to it.

"Ha! You're right. Come on in – the bunnies are in the living room. So's Mattie." Caroline pointed at a doorway and, with a nod, Arthur hurried under her arm to make his way there.

"Hey, Arthur," said Matthew, suddenly in front of Arthur. He had a habit of walking up behind him so quietly that Arthur's heart leapt from his chest. As far as Arthur could tell, though, he had been standing just out of sight when he came in, popping out when he passed through the door.

"Hi," he said, smiling. "Thanks for inviting me."

"It's okay. D'you wanna see the bunnies?" asked Matthew, inclining his head behind him. Arthur nodded quickly, eager. "Come on." Matthew gestured for Arthur to follow him.

In the corner of the room was what appeared to be a little nest of blankets. Nearby, a rabbit hopped across the floor, ignoring the two boys. Matthew made a beeline for the nest and knelt down, gesturing for Arthur to do the same. Once he was situated, Matthew pressed a finger to his lips.

"We need to be careful," he whispered, glancing at the rabbit behind them. "Aunt Caroline says rabbits can be mean if they think you're hurting their babies."

"Okay. So what do I do?" Arthur whispered back, wide-eyed. He'd never imagined rabbits to be anything other than cuddly and sweet.

"Let me show you them. Don't touch."

Carefully, Matthew reached out and pulled back a couple of blankets to reveal multi-coloured rabbits, their tiny ears standing up on their heads. Browns and blacks and whites were prominent but Arthur spotted a little one with grey ears and a patch on its stomach as it rolled over. He knew instantly which one he wanted and pointed to it.

"Can I have that one?" he asked, looking to Matthew eagerly.

Nodding, Matthew grinned. "I think so. Molly is some sort of 'pedigree' or something and that one's not good enough for shows because of the colour or something. At least, I think that's what the vet said." He looked over his shoulder, towards the two adults but they weren't in the room. "I think she's a girl."

"Cool. Can I pet her?" Arthur turned pleading eyes on Matthew: apparently the Canadian was incapable of saying no to them.

"All right. Just... be gentle."

Hastily nodding, Arthur carefully reached out and used a single finger to stroke the bunny's ear. It didn't react but Arthur suspected that it couldn't move too much since it was a newborn. He continued stroking for a little while before carefully extracting his hand. "They're so cute," he whispered to Matthew.

"Yeah. I think they look like little balls of cotton wool."

"Ha, yeah! Little balls of fluff."

Matthew chuckled and opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a shout from upstairs. "Mattie!" came the distant cry and the boy grimaced.

"Oh, no," he breathed.

"What?" asked Arthur, confused.

Footsteps thudded above them before thumping down the stairs. There was a moment of silence and then some murmuring from the kitchen. Just when Arthur thought they were safe from whoever or whatever that was, there were running footsteps and the door opened. A boy bounded into the room, narrowly avoided the rabbit and approached the two on the floor at such a fast pace that Arthur manoeuvred himself to shield the bunnies from a possible impact.

The boy skidded to a halt and pouted at Matthew. "Ya told me you'd let me meet your super posh friend! Why didntcha tell me he was here?!"

Arthur surmised that this was Matthew's cousin. He was far louder than he had imagined and shorter, too. The two family members were remarkably similar but Matthew had longer hair with a lighter colour and rounder glasses. The newcomer also had a cowlick as opposed to Matthew's curl. He was wearing an "I Heart NY" t-shirt and trainers which looked like they were falling apart, the American flag painted on them. Arthur was a little shocked at how much he looked like a boy: he had been expecting a teenager or someone rather like a Yorkshire farmer from Matthew's description of his boisterous antics. Then again, perhaps Arthur had compared the stories to the ones of his brothers and made up a picture similar to them.

"Sorry, Al, but I wanted to show him the bunnies..."

'Al' seemed to ignore him and turned to Arthur. "Hiya! I'm Alfred but you can call me Al 'cause that's what friends do, right? Wanna come watch me play-"

"He came to see the bunnies," Matthew reminded Alfred, tugging on his t-shirt to gain his attention.

"But the bunnies are _boring_ ," Alfred whined. "They don't _do_ anything. Lego Star Wars is more fun! C'mon!" And, without waiting for a response from either of them, he reached down and grabbed Arthur's hand.

However, Arthur was not about to let him drag him off to who knew where. Jerking his hand from Alfred's grasp, he folded his arms and glowered at him. "You're being really rude!" he snapped.

"Huh? How?"

"Well, for one, you never let me introduce myself. For another, I'm _Matthew's_ friend, not yours; you can't just drag me off to play with you. _And_ ," Arthur added, "you didn't ask me if I wanted to come with you."

Alfred tilted his head and stared at the ceiling, obviously thinking. "Okay. Well, what's your name?"

"Arthur."

"Nice ta meetcha! _Now_ can we-?"

" _No_ ," said Arthur, firmly. "I want to stay with the bunnies. I don't want to play a game. Not with _you_. I'd rather play with Mattie."

Pouting, Alfred folded his arms. " _Fine_. I 'spect you're just as boring as Mattie, anyhow!"

" _Boring_?!" exclaimed Arthur, leaping to his feet. "How dare you?! Matt's plenty interesting. You're just jealous that you don't have any-!"

"Arthur Kirkland!" came a cry from the door and, once Arthur caught his breath, he glanced up to find his mum glaring at him. "Just what were you going to say to Alfred?"

Shuffling his feet, Arthur stared at them and shrugged. He had the feeling he had just damaged his chances of getting a rabbit. If he had, he was going to blame Alfred for the rest of his life. "Sorry," he mumbled, knowing that he was going to be told to say that.

"I think it's time we went home," Wendy said, still frowning. "Come along, Arthur." She turned to Caroline. "I really am sorry."

"Nah," said the American, waving her hand around wildly in dismissal. "Al's got tough skin, don't you, honey?"

"Yup!" said Alfred cheerily: Arthur glared at him for daring to sound like a delightful little boy. When Caroline turned back to show Arthur and Wendy out, Alfred stuck his tongue out and pulled a face. Utilising his older brothers' repertoire of insults, he stuck two fingers up at him before darting out of the living room.

* * *

It was a surprise for Arthur to find himself back at No. 17 to collect a bunny. Apparently, he had successfully defended himself against his mother's ire. Either that or she and his father had settled on the bunny for being Arthur's birthday present.

When they knocked on the door this time, it was opened by Alfred who blinked at Arthur and his mother in surprise. "Oh," he said, less enthusiastically than Arthur had expected upon seeing him. Perhaps his glare had cowed Alfred into being a little quieter. "I 'spect you're here for a bunny?"

"Indeed we are," said Wendy, raising at eyebrow at him. "May we come in?"

Alfred stepped aside and let them in. He swung the door closed behind them and shouted for his mother. All three of them hovered uncomfortably for a moment. "Wanna go see your bunny?" Alfred asked Arthur, sounding a little sullen. "Yours is the last one to be picked up."

Looking up at Wendy, Arthur waited for the nod of approval before agreeing himself. "Sure. Where's Matt?"

"Out with Dad, getting ice cream," was the sharp reply. Alfred barely spared him a glance as he made his way into the living room. Arthur followed and found that it had barely changed save for the tiny little bunny which had emerged from the nest. Its white fur was clean and its grey ears had flopped over. Arthur realised it was the same one he had told Matthew that he wanted and he gasped in surprise: after the catastrophe of his last trip to the house, he had expected to have to settle for whichever one was left. He hurried over and dropped to his knees beside her, eyes shining with excitement.

"You kept her!" he cried, carefully stroking his new pet's fur. The bunny's nose twitched and turned her head towards him before turning back to her slow path across the room.

"Mattie wouldn't let us sell her," Alfred replied, sounding less moody.

Arthur didn't pay attention to the change in his tone and swivelled on his knees to look towards the door. "Mum, Mum! Come look!"

After a brief moment of inactivity, Wendy appeared and moved over to her son, smiling down at him. She began to coo over the bunny and Arthur started to reel off all the names he'd been considering and the pros and cons of each. Alfred was completely forgotten as they prepared the bunny for her trip to their house. Caroline fussed around them, giving them spare food and blankets as they caught the tiny animal and placed her gently into the pet carrier they had brought with them.

However, Alfred suddenly appeared as the adults were 'saying their goodbyes' (or, as appeared to be the case, chattering about work) and sidled up to Arthur. "Are you going?" he asked, pouting a little. "Aren't you gonna play with me?"

"What?" Arthur blinked, bewildered. "Why would I? You're not my friend – Matthew is."

"You can be my friend, too, right?" He beamed at Arthur, looking confident that that would be the case. It annoyed Arthur even more than his first impression of the boy.

"You're mean to Matt," Arthur pointed out, frowning. "Why would I be friends with someone like that?"

Alfred's brow furrowed. He opened his mouth to speak but, before he could and before they could begin fighting, Arthur's mother announced their departure. She grabbed Arthur's hand and he followed lest he be dragged. But he didn't go without one last statement: he stuck out his tongue at Alfred who returned the gesture with his own glare.

* * *

Eight years later, Arthur glared down at a map that he was attempting to hold in one hand while dragging a large suitcase behind him. The thing kept tipping onto its side and it now had scrapes where Arthur had kept walking for a few steps before righting it. Cursing, he shook the sheet of paper out and squinted up at the building. It seemed to be the right place but he wouldn't be sure until-

"Arthur!" cried a voice behind him and he spun around. Arthur knew that voice.

"Matthew!" he called, spotting the taller teen approaching. He raised his map in a facsimile of a wave. Waiting till his friend to reach him, he said, "Fancy meeting you here."

The Canadian snorted. "Yeah. It's been so long, Art. It's good to see you in the flesh."

Grinning, Arthur nodded. "I can't believe we both got in. For a while there, I thought I'd be going to Oxford since they took _forever_ to get back to me!"

"Me, too! I thought I'd be in Toronto." Matthew made sure his suitcase was standing up and pulled Arthur into a hug. "I've missed you!"

Ignoring his own suitcase – which had fallen the moment he lost his grip on it – he hugged Matthew back. Shortly after his eleventh birthday, Matthew's parents had returned home and sent for him. Since then, they had kept in touch via e-mail, MSN, Facebook and Skype, along with sending packages for birthdays and Christmas. It hadn't been quite the same since their conversations were slow due to the time difference and they had to stay up late or get up early to be able to talk. But Arthur had been grateful to keep hold of his friend and was delighted when they both got into Harvard, an aim they had had since they had discussed it on a passing whim. What had been a joke was now a reality and Arthur was excited to be able to actually be with Matthew for the first time in years.

"Should we get going?" asked Arthur, pulling back, a smile still present. "I want to stop lugging this blasted thing around." He gestured at his fallen suitcase and bent to pick it up.

"Sure. I can't wait to get settled in," said Matthew, grabbing his own luggage. "I hope we get to share a room."

"That _would_ be amazing. Maybe if we go in at the same time they'll let us stay together."

"Hopefully!"

They entered the administration building and, after getting turned around and going in circles for a few minutes, they finally found the room where the dormitory keys were being handed out. There was a queue already so they joined it and watched as each person was given a little package and walked off. Behind the counter, the woman looked bored, scratching her nose with a pen at any given moment that she didn't have to slowly and painstakingly type in each student's name. The queue shuffled forwards and Arthur predicted it would take just as long as it took for them to find the place to get to the front.

"Hey," said Matthew suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence between them. "Guess who else is coming here?"

Arthur shrugged. "I don't know. Ah, wait! Who was that pen pal of yours?"

"His name was..." Matthew paused and his brow furrowed in concentration. "I... don't remember his name. He was French, though. And I haven't written to him since he never replied to my letter about returning to Canada. It's not him."

"Then I really have no idea..."

Matthew laughed. "Ah, come on. You can't have forgotten Alfred!"

"Wha-? Oh, no way!" cried Arthur, eyes wide. "That brat got in _here_?"

"Aw, come on, Artie. He was ten years old, in a foreign country and had no friends. He didn't mean any harm."

"Yeah, well..." Arthur heaved a sigh. "Fine. Whatever. Still, he never seems all that clever when you talk about him."

"That's 'cause he has no common sense and goes in head first to... well, into _everything_. Did I tell you about the time he dived head first into a ball pool and concussed himself?"

A bark of laughter escaped Arthur and startled the person in front. " _God_ , yes, you did. I was laughing for _weeks_."

They laughed for a while till Matthew sobered up. "Well, he's silly like that but, apparently, he's, like, some _genius_ with the sciences."

Arthur whistled in surprise. "Never would have guessed. So he's coming here?"

"Yup. He wanted to bunk with me but... well..."

"You didn't tell him how you wanted to stay with me?"

"Well..." Matthew shifted awkwardly. "You didn't like him back then and he didn't like you. Whenever I bring you up, he scoffs and walks off."

"Ah." Arthur wasn't sure whether to be annoyed or not. Eventually, he decided to shrug it off. "Whatever. So. Looking forward to this year?"

* * *

By the time they had caught up on what they had missed in the past few weeks (they had both been busy getting ready to move to America), the counter stood before them. Stepping up, Arthur told the woman his name and was quickly given his package. Apparently, his room was in the Oak Yard. He moved aside and hovered, waiting for Matthew.

"Here you go. Elm Yard." The woman handed over the package. Matthew took it, eyes wide.

"Elm?" gasped Arthur. "Wait. C-Can't we get the same room?"

The woman shrugged. "The things you sent on ahead are already in your rooms. You can put in a transfer if you want. Now, if you'll get out of the way, please..." She looked over Matthew's shoulder and called, "Next!"

They moved off, exiting the administration building and standing out of the way to consider their options. "Oh, Christ!" said Arthur, looking down at the information on his keyring. "I think I'm at the opposite end of the campus from you."

"Looks like it," Matthew sighed, shrugging a shoulder. "Well, I suppose we _should_ have requested to share a dorm."

"Maybe we can get a transfer. I don't fancy not being able to see you as much."

"No, look, I think we were given our orientation schedules. Let's see if we can meet up for lunch during the week."

"Oh! That's a good idea," Arthur agreed, opening what he had been given and extracting the sheet of paper. They huddled close together and Arthur's eyes flicked between the boxes around midday. He groaned. "Our classes and free time clash."

"Ah, no, look!" cried Matthew, pointing at the Wednesday column. "We don't have anything on Wednesday afternoon. Why don't we have a late lunch? We can take our time and get caught up. And we have the evenings, too." Matthew smiled encouragingly and Arthur nodded.

"Of course. Sounds like a plan." Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. "I suppose we should go find who we're sharing rooms with."

"Right." Matthew sprung another hug on Arthur before grabbing his suitcase. "Why don't we go find somewhere to have dinner later?"

"Yeah! Well, I'll message you once I'm all set up."

"Great! Bye for now!"

Waving, they both set off in opposite directions. Arthur shook out his map and, before long, he had found the building he would be living in for the foreseeable future. His building was the Thayer and was a large, red, squat building. It looked rather picturesque and made Arthur feel a little more at ease: he hadn't been looking forward to living in a steel and glass structure. He made his way inside and headed to room 76.

Pausing outside the door, he listened to the distant strains of what sounded like a Taylor Swift song playing within. Raising his eyebrows, he juggled everything in his hands, trying to keep his suitcase upright, before he could unlock the door. Pushing it open, he dropped the keys and had to bend to pick them up while keeping the door open. Struggling with everything, Arthur was too preoccupied to greet the room-mate who was obviously within. He only paused in tugging his suitcase when the person spoke.

"Arthur?"

Stilling, Arthur finally looked up. Before him stood a surprised young man, his worn Darth Vader t-shirt stretched across well-defined muscles. His blond hair was short though still a little dishevelled, one strand sticking up as if to flip off gravity. Wide, blue eyes stared at Arthur from behind glinting, rectangular spectacles. His jaw had dropped in his surprise and Arthur could see his perfectly straight, white teeth.

There was only one other person that Arthur knew who was going to be at Harvard.

"Al... fred?" he asked, slowly and hesitantly.

Seemingly still stunned, Alfred nodded.

They stared at each other and didn't move until, from along the corridor, laughter filtered through their senses and Arthur returned his attention to trying to pull his suitcase into the room. "For. God's. Sake," he growled as the case got caught repeatedly on the edge of the doorway. Once again, he dropped his key and he paused to take a calming breath before he lost his temper.

"Here! Let me help!" said Alfred and hurried forward.

"You want to help me?" asked Arthur, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure," said Alfred, grabbing the suitcase. He lifted it and hobbled over to the second bed. His one had already been made with sheets decorated with swirling galaxies. Above it, pinned to the wall, were several scientific diagrams such as a periodic table and a cross section of a heart. "There you go," said Alfred and Arthur looked over to see that he had laid the case on the bed.

"Thank you." Arthur reorganised his other things and placed the pile beside it, his key on top.

"No problem."

Silence descended. The music – which Alfred had turned down when Arthur entered – served as background noise but it was so quiet that their lack of conversation was stark. For a while, they merely looked at each other, Arthur waiting to see what else Alfred would say. Finally, when it all got too much and he felt his cheeks beginning to grow warm, Arthur turned to his case and began to unzip it, intent on unpacking despite how awkward it was.

"Sorry," said Alfred, suddenly, making Arthur spin in alarm.

"For what?"

"Well, how I acted as a kid. Mattie's told me tons of times that I was really horrible. A huge brat. But, I mean, I was just jealous. So... Sorry." Alfred looked suitably cowed, grimacing as he stared at the floor, scuffing his foot against the floorboards.

"Ah."

"Seeing as we're gonna be living together, how about we start over?" asked the American, chancing a glance up.

"Start over?" asked Arthur, bewildered.

"Yeah!" Alfred grinned at him and held out his hand. "Alfred F. Jones. Nice ta meetcha!"

"Arthur Kirkland. A pleasure."

They shook hands and Arthur hoped that their earlier acquaintanceship didn't provide a glimpse into their future.

* * *

Unfortunately, going from disliking each other as children to living together, each with their own habits and preferences, was not conducive to a good relationship.

Alfred whistled. Normally that wouldn't be a problem but he seemed to be unable to go without some sort of sound from the moment he rose at dawn until he fell asleep at night. Being awoken several hours earlier than Arthur thought acceptable by Alfred's high-pitched whistling grated on his nerves. During classes, he was able to get away but the catchy tunes meant that they ran through his head and made him all the angrier for it.

Alfred ate messily. Crumbs got everywhere and, no matter how many times Arthur had complained, he still left the mess behind for someone else to clean. Since Arthur was unwilling to live in his mess, he was the one to clean up and his constant griping was reciprocated in insults.

Alfred laughed loudly. It always startled Arthur when he was working on essays – especially since he wore headphones to block Alfred out. However, Alfred's noise could reach levels which drowned out the music Arthur listened to. And, whenever he asked what was so funny, Alfred would dismiss him with a "Nothing!".

Alfred was overzealous, overbearing and thought he was perfect. He also seemed to think that everyone should be as social as him: Arthur hated it when Alfred tried to drag him out to parties. His resistance brought forth insults which hurt him and he would retaliate, forcing Alfred to leave in a huff. They never apologised; every time they tried, it led to another argument.

Matthew wasn't much help to Arthur. He insisted that Alfred had grown up and was nice once you'd gotten to know him. When Arthur told him of the arguments and the constant insistence he go to a party, Matthew had thought it was a good idea for Arthur to meet new people. Arthur had been so upset that he'd stormed off and refused to meet up with his friend for a movie night they had arranged a week before. Ignoring a text Matthew had sent wondering where he was, he searched for something to take his mind of the injustice and the loneliness.

So, instead of having fun with his best friend, he finished some assignments, read the last few chapters of a book he had to read for class and pulled out his laptop to look through old pictures. Since Alfred wasn't around, he even let his music play aloud, setting his headphones aside. At one point, he lost himself in singing quietly along, his eyes closed. He almost fell off his bed when he heard a voice by the door, his eyes flying open as he caught himself.

"Dude, is that Kansas?"

Catching his breath, Arthur righted himself and glared at Alfred. "What's it to you?" Arthur demanded, looking around for his headphones.

"They're on the floor," Alfred told him. "And you don't need to put them in. I like that song. I mean... Hey, do you watch Supernatural?"

"Yeah," Arthur replied, rather surprised. "I wouldn't have thought you did..."

"Are ya kidding? Sam and Dean are badass. Of course, it's all scientifically impossible but who cares when they're beating bad guys up?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Of course it's not _scientifically_ possible. Science can't explain the supernatural."

Laughing, Alfred moved towards Arthur, dropping his bag on his bed. "What, you believe in ghosts and fairies and all that crap?"

Smirking, Arthur shifted up the bed a little, allowing Alfred to sit beside him. "At least ghosts and fairies and all that crap are more believable than aliens. Besides, you watched The Ring last night and were blubbering into your pillow for hours."

"I was not!" Alfred protested, pouting and folding his arms.

"You were too!"

" _Not_!" Alfred whined, throwing his arms in the air. Overbalancing on his precarious perch on Arthur's bed, he toppled over, narrowly missing Arthur's headphones.

For a second, there was silence. Then, finding the situation absurd and hilarious (when on Earth did he and Alfred F. Jones find something to talk about?), Arthur began to laugh. He laughed so hard that his stomach began to hurt and he clutched at it, doubled over. It took a while for him to calm but, once he had, Alfred had managed to climb back onto the bed. Arthur turned to him, still grinning, to find Alfred smiling back at him. For a brief moment, Arthur thought that his expression was almost fond. Then Alfred's expression morphed into one of surprise.

"Oh, hey!" he said, leaning over Arthur to look at his laptop. Instinctively, Arthur tried to block the screen from view. "Is that the rabbit you got from us?"

Looking at the picture, Arthur nodded. It had been taken at his birthday and the eighth anniversary of her adoption into the family. "She's eight years old now. Apart from Mattie, she's my best friend."

"That's..." Alfred shook his head, dismissing what he had been about to say. "What did you name her, anyway? You had all sorts of ideas for it, I remember."

"Yeah. I ended up calling her... Flopsy..." Arthur wondered if Alfred would understand the reference.

"'Flopsy'? Seriously. Dude, that's lame. I think I preferred Emma."

Arthur had been about to protest when he paused and frowned. "Emma...?"

"Yeah. I remember that was one of your options. I 'spect it was after that book. Y'know, by that famous woman. What was her name...?"

"Jane Austen," Arthur supplied, staring at Alfred in a sort of awe. He had barely remembered that he had considered Emma as a name for Flopsy. "It wasn't after that..."

"Well, what _was_ it from?"

"Er." Arthur blushed and stared down at his hands. "I had a bit of a crush on Emma Watson..."

Alfred laughed good-naturedly.

* * *

After that, things were a little better between them. They still argued but now they found that they could talk about things that they liked. Arthur encouraged Alfred to read certain books and Alfred forced Arthur to take breaks from his studying to watch action and superhero films. Gradually, they seemed to becoming friends.

There was only one thing stopping Arthur from considering Alfred as a friend and it was related to the handful of dreams he had been having lately. The frustration got to him and he would snap at Alfred for nothing. Every time he did, tensions rose between them and they griped at each other for days until Alfred stayed over in Matthew's room. Usually, when he came back, they would slowly begin to talk again and, eventually, they returned to their usual levels of friendship.

This time, it was early on a Saturday and Arthur had their room to himself. Matthew had sent regular messages: apparently, Alfred had managed to scare himself stupid with horror films the night before. Seeing as the last message Arthur had gotten had said that Alfred hadn't left (though that was an hour or so ago), Arthur decided to use the time he had to himself to call his brother on Skype and see if his parents were home. Unfortunately, his brother was offline so he sent a message for him to call and waited, reading a book to pass the time.

It wasn't too long after that that the door opened and Alfred dragged himself in. He glanced around, almost as if he was looking for Arthur and froze when he spotted him. They stared at each other. Alfred looked tired, as though he had barely slept. Arthur tried to hide his amusement.

"Uh," said Alfred, closing the door behind him. "Mattie and me were talking about Thanksgiving plans."

"Yes?"

"Well, we're gonna be going to my parents' and Mattie said I should invite you."

"Wha-?" Arthur blinked at him. "N- I... I don't celebrate Thanksgiving."

"Aw, c'mon. It's a chance for... well, eating a lot," Alfred said, moving over to sit on Arthur's bed. "And it'll suck if you're on your own here."

"I'm sure there will be others around. Besides, I'll get peace to study."

"You're _always_ studying, dude. Come have fun!" Alfred grinned encouragingly at him.

Chewing on his lip, Arthur started to reconsider. He'd have more time with Matthew. And, well, he _was_ all caught up with his assignments and reading material. However, it would also mean more time with Alfred and he wasn't sure he could handle it.

At that moment, a ringing sound filled the room and Arthur swivelled in his chair, setting down his book. With a click of his mouse, he answered the Skype call, expecting to see Sean. Instead, his brother seemed to have taken his laptop to the living room and set it on the coffee table facing his parents.

"Mum? Dad?" he said, leaning forward. "Hey. What's wrong? Is Sean okay?"

"Sean's fine, honey. We just... we have some news." His mother looked sad as she spoke, glancing towards her husband who put a comforting hand on her knee and squeezed. "Are you... alone?"

"Er, no," said Arthur, glancing over his shoulder at a bewildered Alfred. "Alfred's here." He leaned to the side so they could see him and his room-mate waved.

"Ah. Hello, Alfred. How are you?"

"I'm all right," Alfred replied. Arthur expected him to elaborate but, instead, he glanced at Arthur expectantly.

Sitting straight, Arthur continued his inquiries. "What's going on?"

"It's..." Wendy sighed and ran a hand through her short hair: she'd cut most of it off since the last time Arthur had seen her. It looked odd and a little surreal. He'd never seen his mum without her usual long locks. "It's about Flopsy."

"What? Is she all right? Is she ill? What's wrong?" Arthur demanded quickly, gripping the arms of the computer chair.

Wendy shook her head. "I'm sorry, darling. She's..." She took a deep breath, as if steadying herself for something. "She's dead."

Arthur froze. Behind him, Alfred gasped. "But..."

"She was acting odd a few days ago so we took her to the vet. Apparently, she'd caught myxomatosis and she died yesterday. We... we're not sure what to do with..."

It took a while for Arthur to be able to speak, trying his best to wade past the shock. "Can you bury her? Under the old oak tree at the bottom of the garden?" His heart clenched as he remembered the times he had taken her out to the garden and let her hop around – she would always inevitably gravitate to the tree to sit there, content with her lot in life. Arthur swallowed, trying his best to tamp down his grief: there were too many people to be witness to it.

"Of course. Andrew's already said he'd make a coffin and a headstone for her so that you can... Well... When you come home."

"Right. I have to go now," Arthur told them in a monotone. "Thanks for letting me know."

"Alfred!" his mother called out before he could hang up. He paused, wondering what his mother wanted to say to the other teenager. "You take care of him, do you hear?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Alfred replied, saluting her, even though Arthur obstructed him from view.

"Goodbye, darling. We're so sorry."

Nodding, Arthur hit the button to hang up. He felt numb, not quite able to believe it. After being so used to having Flopsy all through his high school years, he couldn't quite bring himself to imagine never getting to hold her or cuddle her again. Memories drifted before him, each as clear as the pictures on his laptop. Staring at the screen, it took a while to realise that there were tears slowly rolling down his cheeks. As soon as he did, a sob broke free and he shakily began to raise an arm to cover his mouth. However, a pair of arms grabbed him from the side and Alfred pulled him close. Arthur considered pulling away – he still wasn't sure if he considered Alfred to be the kind of friend he could be this open with – but he quickly let himself bury his head in Alfred's shoulder until the tears had stopped.

Finally, he felt as though he could face Alfred and pulled away. "Sorry," he mumbled, taking a shuddering breath.

"It's cool. You all right?" Alfred asked. He looked concerned.

"Yes. I can't believe... It's like this is a horrible nightmare."

"Your worst nightmare is your rabbit dying?" Alfred asked, blinking.

"She's my best friend – bar Matthew."

"Aw, c'mon. You have other friends, right?"

"No _true_ friends," Arthur corrected. "Not back home. I've made more here than I did in high school."

"Well, that's good!" There was a brief pause. "Am I one of the friends?"

"I suppose." Arthur frowned at Alfred. "Are you trying to make me feel better or are you trying to boost your own ego?"

"No!" cried Alfred, wobbling where he crouched. "I was just trying to cheer you up. See, you've got loads of friends who'll help you get through this and junk."

Arthur stared at him for a moment as Alfred tried to stay on his feet. Eventually, he fell over and Arthur had to cover his mouth to hide his amused smirk. When he had gotten over his amusement, he lowered his hand and flashed Alfred a sad smile. "Thank you. But I'll be fine."

"'Course you will! 'Cause you're coming with me and Mattie to eat tons and be lazy. Right?"

Considering it for a second, Arthur nodded. "Right."

* * *

Years later, Arthur stared at a crying toddler. "Don't be like that, Denis," Arthur sighed, handing the little boy his dummy. "Your dad's just coming. Please," he added when the child continued to cry, increasing in volume.

"Sorry, Arthur," sighed Matthew, sitting across from him and putting down their beverages. "He's teething."

"So I hear," answered Arthur, chuckling. He glanced around the small café, taking in the amused expressions of mothers and grandmothers who had managed to get out for the day without their children. Glancing back at Denis, he only just managed to catch his dummy as the toddler tried to throw it away. "How's Katyusha?"

"Tired. It doesn't help that she's..."

"She's...?" Arthur prompted, returning his attention to Matthew. The Canadian had bags under his eyes which his glasses couldn't hide and Arthur wished he could help more. He was surprised, though, to see Matthew grinning sheepishly. "What? What is it?"

"She's pregnant again."

" _Already_?!" cried Arthur, a little too loudly.

"Yes," hissed Matthew, leaning forward and looking around at the interested gazes sent their way. Blushing, he looked back at Arthur. "Shush. We've not told anyone yet. Katyusha thinks Ivan won't be happy that I'm 'interrupting her career' again."

"Tell Ivan to shove it."

Matthew laughed. "I can't. He's Kat's brother. I can't stop him from seeing his nephews. Or nephew and niece."

"Al wants you to name your next boy after him, remember."

Sighing, Matthew rolled his eyes. "I already told him we're not doing that. Besides, if it's a boy, it's Kat's choice. I get to name the girls."

"What name have you got picked out for your first girl, then?"

"Madeline. I like that name."

Arthur frowned slightly. "Like that film with the girls in blue coats and yellow hats?"

With a snort, Matthew nodded. "I think it's pretty. But the next one will be Alice."

"Oh?"

"It'll be a tribute to you and Al." Arthur raised an eyebrow so Matthew elaborated. "The Al part represents Alfred and Alice is for you."

"Why?"

"Remember that time we had that themed party where we all had to dress as girls? You wore that dress..."

"Oh, my God," breathed Arthur, burying his face in his hands to hide his blush. "I was hoping everyone had forgotten about that. God, I thought Al was the only one to remember! We were all so _drunk_!"

Matthew laughed for a moment at his friend's discomfort before sobering as his son began to cry again. After fussing with him for a while, trying to make the child laugh, he eventually settled on giving him his dummy and rolling his buggy back and forth. It stopped Denis crying and Arthur hoped he would fall asleep.

"How _is_ Al?" Matthew asked, taking hold of his mug to take a drink.

"Oh, you know. Terribly busy. He insists he's got a breakthrough – in something about physics and space and... something. I swear, I've fallen into a Big Bang Theory episode."

"Except you're just as much of a geek as him."

Arthur laughed at that. "Yeah. The kids at school seemed shocked when I obliged Alfred and dressed up as a Jedi on the fourth of May. I had their attention then, at least." The two friends laughed at the images in their head.

"So how are you _and_ Al?" asked Matthew, smirking a little.

"N- Sh-Shut up," grumbled Arthur, his cheeks turning pink. Matthew always liked to tease them about their relationship – especially after Alfred got drunk at a party and declared that he'd had a crush on Arthur the moment he walked through their dorm door. Clearing his throat, Arthur fiddled with his teacup. "He found a couple of rabbits and adopted them. They're our 'children', or so he says."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's been six years since I last had a rabbit. I was so surprised when I came home and they were hopping around the living room!" Arthur laughed at the memory.

"Really?" Matthew repeated, giving Arthur a sly smile. "I bet it's 'cause he saw how happy you were with Flopsy."

Arthur tried to hide his fond smile. "He's definitely good like that. Though... he's still an idiot."

"Oh, no. What did he-? Oh, no."

Nodding in confirmation, Arthur said, "He forgot to get them spayed or neutered and didn't realise they were a male and female."

"Oh, dear," Matthew said, laughing.

"We've got lots of little bunnies now. Speaking of which..."

"No." Matthew frantically shook his head. "No way."

" _Please_! We have so many and Alfred refuses to take them to an animal shelter. No-one wants any. I'm desperate enough to ask you to ask Ivan. Please!"

Grimacing, Matthew shook his head. "We can't take one, though... We've got a kid and-"

"Mattie!" cried a familiar voice. They both looked over to the entrance and saw Alfred hurrying over, his scarf fluttering behind him as he rushed towards them. Rounding the table, he dropped into a chair and scooted it closer to Arthur. "Hey! Good to see you, Mattie. And hiya, sweetheart," he added to Arthur, leaning over for a quick peck.

"Hello, love," Arthur replied. "We were just discussing the rabbits."

"Oh, my gosh, Mattie!" breathed Alfred, instantly lighting up. "I've got pictures. You gotta see these little bundles of fluff. They're adorable."

An hour later, Matthew had agreed to take two.


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was mentioned that people might like to see Arthur returning home to find the new rabbits so I thought I'd write it. Unfortunately... I don't think this is very good, to be honest, as I had no real direction to take it, really.
> 
> So, this is a sort of second chapter to Little Ball of Fluff, set after they've left Harvard but before Arthur sees Matthew and Denis.

Although Arthur loved teaching, he was always happy to return home at the end of the day and relax with his boyfriend. So it was with a relieved sigh that Arthur walked through the door of their apartment and put down his briefcase. With the door shut and locked, Arthur called out to Alfred. "I'm home, love!"

The American came out of the living room, grinning as he spotted the English teacher. "Hey, babe. I still think you need to work on your, 'Honey, I'm home!'"

"Hush, you," Arthur replied as he worked on removing his coat and shoes. "I've told you plenty of times that I'm not going to do that."

"I do it," Alfred pointed out, pouting at Arthur.

Rolling his eyes, Arthur stepped towards him and looped his arms around Alfred's neck. "Are you going to greet me properly?"

"Not till you say it!"

Shaking his head in dismay, Arthur dutifully said, "Honey, I'm home. Is tha-?" He was promptly cut off by a loving kiss, slow and sweet.

Pulling away, Alfred laughed. "Score!"

"Yes, well. I think that means it's my turn to choose what we're having for dinner."

"Aw, but _Artie_!" whined Alfred, putting on a pronounced pout.

Chuckling, Arthur moved away from Alfred and began to make his way to the kitchen. "All's fair in love and war, dear."

"These rules are stupid."

"No, they stop you from getting your way all the time. You get me to do something you want, I get to do what I want. Fair's fair."

"But I was really looking forward to home-made burgers!" Alfred protested, bounding into the kitchen. "I even got everything out – look!"

Indeed, Alfred had lain out the meat, ready for shaping. The woks were out on the stove, waiting to be used and the oil sat beside it. A packet of buns were waiting beside plates upon which rested the vegetables. Tomato sauce and relish were present, too.

"Hm. Well, it would be a shame to waste all this effort..." said Arthur, keeping the fact that he was now craving burgers to himself.

"Sweet!" cried Alfred, grabbing Arthur around the waist from behind. The teacher squealed and kicked his legs as Alfred lifted him and swung him to and fro. Before he could protest, though, Alfred kissed him just behind the ear and he sighed in contentment. Then Alfred shifted to murmur into his ear. "I've got a surprise for ya in the living room. Come see." He set Arthur down and hurried off.

Regaining his bearings, Arthur spun around and gave chase. "A surprise? What're you talking about, silly? You know we can't afford much, what with our student debt." Which was stopping them from getting a house instead of just a small flat. Arthur desperately wanted one; he and Alfred had been together for quite some time and he wanted to feel at home with Alfred rather than just feeling as though he was back in university, sharing a room.

"Tada!" said Alfred, cutting through Arthur's thoughts and spreading his arms wide.

Arthur blinked and glanced around, looking for what was different. The second-hand furniture was still the same, as were the stuffed bookcases. All the games consoles and the TV were still in place. The rabbits were hopping around-

"What the-?" Arthur stared at two, adorable little bunnies, wiggling their noses in the middle of the floor. Both of them were Holland Lops and Arthur felt a pang in his chest as his thoughts turned to Flopsy. One was brown with small, white patches while the other was white with small, black patches. The brown one stopped what it was doing and brought up its front paws to rub at its nose. "Oh, my gosh," Arthur breathed, staring at them in awe.

"Haha, did I do good?" asked Alfred, coming up beside Arthur and wrapping his arms around him. Nuzzling into his boyfriend, Arthur nodded and then shook his head, not sure what to feel. Alfred laughed at that and Arthur poked him. Alfred yelped.

"Where on Earth did you get them?"

"They were in the university. There was a woman in the Biology department who brought them in and was giving them away. But no-one wanted the last two so I took 'em. I _did_ do good, right?"

"Idiot," sighed Arthur. "We don't have anything we need to take care of rabbits."

"We can go do that on our lunch break tomorrow, if ya want. And there's lettuce and stuff in the kitchen."

"I thought that was for the burgers."

"We can let them get some, too." Alfred tugged Arthur towards the newest addition to the household. "I've not given them names yet – what d'ya think? Can we call the brown one Anakin?"

"What?! No!"

"Please!"

Arthur glared at him. "If we do, we call the other one Jar-Jar."

"Urgh. Fine. How about Mal?"

"I- Wait. Are they male or female?" Arthur asked, frowning down at them.

"Both male, I think."

"You think? Wonderful." Arthur rolled his eyes at Alfred.

"Look, I'll double-check tomorrow but, in the meantime, can I go make burgers?" Alfred grinned at Arthur. "I've had most of the day with them. You should get to know them, too!"

"All right," sighed Arthur, rolling his eyes as Alfred whooped and rushed out of the room. Obediently, he knelt down beside them and let the closest – the brown one – sniff at his hand. "Hello, there," he said. He watched the other inching closer to him and remembered Flopsy doing the same. All at once, he felt his heart constrict and expand at the same time, though he knew it was filled with love for his amazing boyfriend.

* * *

According to the biologist, they were both male (so Arthur asked Alfred to find time to take them to the vet to get them neutered) and they named them Philip and Kristoff. Arthur was amused to hear Alfred return home some days and ask how his sons were doing. He was a little less amused and rather embarrassed when he began to call Arthur his wife.

And he was even less amused when he came home one day to find a concerned Alfred on the floor, stroking Kristoff worriedly.

"What's wrong?" Arthur asked, immediately hurrying over.

"I... I dunno. But... He's kinda gotten fat, dontcha think?"

Glancing between the two rabbits, he _did_ notice the difference between the two and he frowned. "That's odd. They've both been eating the same amount, more or less."

"D'ya think he's ill?"

"Maybe. We'd better get him to a vet. Which one did you take them to?"

"Whuh?" Alfred's eyes widened and he sat up straight.

Arthur's brow furrowed. "What do you mean, 'whuh'? The vet you took them to – do they stay open late?"

"Uh..." Slowly, Alfred began to get up. Arthur continued frowning at him. "Er... I... may have forgotten...?"

"What do you mea-?" Arthur froze and then looked between the two unconcerned rabbits. "Oh, God. Please. Please tell me you're joking. Tell me you took them to get neutered."

"Ahahaha... ha...?" said Alfred, nervously, starting to back up.

" _Alfred_!" Arthur cried, getting up. "You _promised_! And- And that biologist! They must have gotten them mixed up with the other rabbits!"

"What d'ya mean-?"

"Kristoff's-!" Arthur paused and took a deep breath. "The other day I caught Philip... _Well_. I thought it was some sort of leftover instincts but _now_ I have the feeling that _he's_ a _she_ and she's probably pregnant since you never got Philip neutered!"

Wide-eyed, Alfred mouthed at him. Then, finally, Alfred said, "Oh."

"Oh?" Arthur's eyes narrowed.

"Look, I'm sor-"

"Al, we're still paying off student debts! We can't afford however many baby rabbits we're going to have! It's a miracle we've been able to take care of Philip and Kristoff up till now!"

Biting his lip, Alfred lowered his gaze, guilt written across his face and in his slumped posture. Then he glanced back up. "I suppose we should take him- her... _Kirstoff_ to the vet?"

Arthur sighed. "Yes. Philip, too. I can't believe you forgot..."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine, love. Just... don't do it next time." He gave Alfred a peck on the cheek which cheered the poor man up a little. "But we're still not keeping all the babies." That rather dampened his spirits...

* * *

By the time Kristoff gave birth, Alfred had tried to persuade Arthur to keep them using tactics such as surprise romantic evenings, spouting horrifying or amazing facts and straightforward pleading. Of course, Arthur had rebuffed them all and had even prepared himself for the inevitable argument which would happen on the day of birth. Sure enough, as soon as the five tiny bunnies were born, Alfred spoke up.

"Look at 'em," he whispered, towering over them. "They're adorable. Are you sure you-?"

"No," said Arthur, not even looking at his boyfriend. He raised the camera and took a quick picture. "We're going to let other people have the fun of keeping rabbits. And we're getting Kristoff spayed."

"Please!"

"Al..."

"But... It's so unfair!" Alfred pouted at Arthur and, sighing, Arthur leaned over to peck him on the cheek. Alfred moved away. "Why can't we keep them?"

"I've told you – numerous times – why we can't."

"Yeah, but, we can figure out a way to get by _and_ pay off our debt. I mean, I'm sure I'm pretty close to a breakthrough in my research."

Arthur didn't bother to ask – the last time he had, he hadn't understood a word Alfred had said. "Look, Al, I know you think we'd manage but do you really think I want to live in this apartment for the rest of our lives. And-" He broke off, realising he was about to talk about his unvoiced fantasies about the future. After all, he wanted to do so much with Alfred – all of which cost rather large amounts of money. Shrugging, he looked away, gazing down at the little family.

"Oh!" said Alfred, suddenly. Arthur glanced up at him and found Alfred blushing and staring at him. "I. Well. I see. Okay. Right, well. We better find someone to take them in, then? And then... we could see what sort of houses we can afford...?"

"Wha-? Al..." Surprised and pleased, Arthur felt himself tear up a little. To hide it, he threw his arms around Alfred and hugged him tight. "Idiot. At least wait until we've paid everything off. I can survive here for a while longer."

Alfred's arms wrapped around Arthur's waist. "I know. But... you shoulda said something. How am I supposed to know you want a white picket fence? How American of you!"

Whacking him on the shoulder, Arthur shook his head. "Shut it." With his tears under control, Arthur pulled back and smiled at Alfred. "Anyway, we have the babies for a few weeks before we can take them from their mother so you don't need to be so down."

"Really?" Alfred grinned at him.

"Really," said Arthur and kissed his wonderful boyfriend.

**Author's Note:**

> Denis is one of the most popular boys names in Ukraine. Flopsy is Peter Rabbit's sister.
> 
> The dorms in Harvard are called what I've put in the story, amongst others. Matthew happened to be in the Matthews building in Elm Yard. How could I resist?
> 
> Some things about rabbits:  
> Holland Lop bunnies can live from 5 to 12 years, depending on care and health. Baby rabbits are usually weaned at 8 weeks. Rabbits develop soft baby coat of hair after few days, get pre-adult fur 5-6 weeks and is replaced by final adult coat 6-8 months and shed twice a year. Ears lop between 3 weeks and 6 months, sometimes later. So, in other words, Flopsy was seen by Arthur at around 5/6 weeks and Flopsy's ears dropped at around 7/8 weeks. And Flopsy was getting old, too. (I just wanted to share my research.)  
> I have some links for all this but a lot of it is for information that became rather superfluous so I'm just gonna leave it well enough alone.
> 
> However, let me just attempt to put in the [picture](http://www.gbfarm.org/rabbit/images/blue-sable-agouti-t.jpg) I based Flopsy off.


End file.
